


cardiac crisis

by saltycryptious



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, im going to hurt sora so much and no one can stop me, slaps sora: check out how much pain you can store in this bad boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:07:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28032144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltycryptious/pseuds/saltycryptious
Summary: Sora's heart knew the feeling of many things: joy, friendship, warmth, fear, determination.And pain.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35





	1. ventus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Creatife_Clownderer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creatife_Clownderer/gifts), [dargonpoops](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dargonpoops/gifts).



> im both projecting my own cardiac problems AND going further into canon so its ok and im making a goal: please by the time that i've finished writing this can i get the courage to make an appointment jhfjkhf

Everyone who knew Sora knew of his pure, unadulterated joy. Out of everyone on the islands, they all said that Sora had the biggest heart. Each interaction sparking happiness and friendship, whether they were already his friend or even a complete stranger, he practically made it his goal to befriend every living thing.

And, of course, Sora's heart knew the feeling of many things: joy, friendship, warmth, fear, determination.

And pain.

* * *

Sora and Riku had never seen such a spectacular sight: streaks of light illuminating the night sky. Riku gazed up, wide-eyed and amazed, taking in all the sights with wonder and awe.

Sora stared up at the same sky with the same enthusiasm, both the boys enamoured with the sights, and yet, he seemed to see something behind the stars. His stare was unfocused, hazy. It was like he wasn't even there.

Before Riku could even ask, Sora spoke with a tremor in his voice.

"They're in pain."

"What?" Riku asked, averting his eyes to look at his best friend, shaking on the spot, eyes filled with tears on the verge of falling.

"Someone out there... they're in so much pain." He finally turned away from the array of shooting stars to look at Riku, and the fear and sadness was almost palpable.

This was Sora, his best friend! He had rarely ever seen him upset, and never to this extent.

He was always a terrible liar, especially when his mother asked him who had eaten the last sweet in the cupboard and Sora replied that he didn't have a clue, with the remnants of the delectable treat still scattered around his mouth. And yet, even in a pitiful situation, he always had a way about him to make everyone smile, practically never getting into trouble with that cute charm he had that made it impossible to be mad at him.

Which made all the times he saw his incredibly cheerful friend despaired and distressed all the more worrisome. And he _definitely_ couldn't lie about it.

"Sora, hey, it's alright." He reached out to his hand, offering comfort and keeping him grounded. "Maybe... maybe if you listen to them, you can help them."

A small inquisitive noise escaped Sora as Riku slowly sat down with him on the dampened sand, the tides inching their way across the land in the dead of night.

Despite their natural reactions not to lay down on wet sand (much to their parents' later dismay), it crunched beneath them as they set their heads on it, once more redirecting their perspectives to the night sky.

Riku took a slow, deep breath of the salty air, prompting Sora to copy him and close his eyes.

And he listened. He listened to the plight of the stars and all that lay beyond them. The pain, the sorrow, the anger, the regret.

From the inky, pitch black void grew a brilliant, blinding light, soon calming into a shining beacon of stained glass.

"Hello?" He called out into the darkness, hoping for an answer.

He didn't expect one to come from so close. _"Who's there?"_

The voice was afraid, pained, and alone. Of course Sora would make it his job to befriend everyone, no matter what. 

"Are you alright? Why are you sad?" He turned around, trying to look for the source of the other voice, settling for it coming from the glistening orb of light in front of him.

_"Oh... Some very bad things happened to me, and I... I'm broken. And lost."_

The sullen voice chose not to go into details, but that didn't matter to Sora. "I can help! Stay here! It's safe!"

_"W-What? You don't even know me, and you're trying to help?"_

"Of course! You're my friend now!"

The disembodied voice laughed in disbelief. _"I... I don't know what to say. How can you be so sure?"_

At this, Sora tilted his head in thought. "Hmm... You were in a lot of pain, and I can feel it, and I don't want you to be in pain. You're my friend, so I want to help my friends!"

It seemed as though nothing the voice said would discourage Sora from achieving his goal. The light approached closer, and closer, until it was practically merged with the stained glass, free to rest and recover.

As it returned to Sora's own Heart Station, there was a slight... difference.

In return for a safe resting place and a place to heal, Sora would share the burden of his pain. Literally.

From the edges, small cracks could be seen to be slowly creeping in. He felt a small twang in his heart, like something was slowly dragging it down, but that wouldn't stop him from helping his friend. Of course, he grew wary of it, but he didn’t have time to notice anything else before the wave of pain hit him.

Grasping at his chest, the cracks deepened slightly and the weight grew, and grew, until he could barely stand.

The light began to fade from the edges of his eyes and the darkness once more returned to its rightful place.

As he opened his eyes, squinting at the harsh lights above, the stars above remained in their opulent beauty, shooting across the vast sky.

Besides him was Riku, still holding his hand tightly, staring at his best friend tentatively.

A small smile assuaged his doubts, with no further words spoken other than a nod as they both remained on the ground, hands intertwined, and once more looking at the meteor shower together.

What Riku didn't see was the sole tear that fell down Sora's face, trailing into the sand.

The pain stayed there. And it ached.


	2. xion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah im not making an appointment for my own heart problems by the time i finish this kjkhdfkj guess i will Suffer and continue to Project

Hmm... where was he?

He doesn't remember much other than the soft veil of sleep comforting him like an old friend, protecting him from harsh reality. It's nice, familiar even.

He's been sleeping for a while. He knows that. He can't wake up, though. Something... something's in the way. Well, he was never one to refuse a nap!

... If only he could continue his nap without an interruption. It was a familiar feeling - like something in the deep void that surrounded him, an ethereal presence, helpless and hurt. Just like last time, the plea was filled with desperation, and sorrow, and pain.

Mustering up the remnants of his quickly fading awareness, the soft light of the stained glass returned, a glowing haven within the gloomy depths of the all-encompassing darkness.

The shine was never as bright as it was before, not since the new arrival all those years ago, and not since a sacrifice for something he couldn't quite remember, a hazy memory just out of reach. And as always, the darkness encroaching was practically negligible, but there nonetheless.

Wait, what was he doing again?

Oh, right! That presence, out there in the abyss. Just barely, Sora could recognise the familiar sight far in the distance. Perhaps he could coax it closer to finally give it the respite it deserved.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Sora yelled, hoping for any sort of response, settling on the small, glowing orb of light shimmering as it approached rather tentatively.

As a warm voice materialised in the air, the heart in front of him emitted a small hum, glowing brighter as it spoke (well, whichever form of 'speaking' it had.) 

_"Oh... You must be Sora."_ Unfortunately, the voice didn't sound too happy about this fact. In fact, they almost seemed upset, like they knew they would ~~return~~ come here.

Steeling his nerves, he began to try and do what he did best: making friends. "Yep! That's me!" But he couldn't hold this facade for as long as he used to be able to. Things had gotten harder as he grew up. That 'familiar' pain became a bit too familiar, anchoring him down. The one thing he knew how to do was be as comforting as a presence he could try to be, no matter how he did it.

With a sigh, he managed to continue, his tone changing completely. "Something happened, didn't it? Do you... wanna talk about it?"

He took the resulting silence as a resounding 'no'. That was fine. He was never one to push people when something was wrong. He never did dwell on the fact that the presence somehow knew his name.

After a while in stagnant silence, the orb of light began to flicker. _"I... I don't want to be alone again. I don't want to be forgotten..."_

Oh. The heart longs. It longs for a freedom it once knew, but it still doubts all it knew. Was any of it real? Or were they destined for doom, a return to oblivion?

No. He refused to accept it. The waves of sadness radiating from the abyss wouldn't overwhelm him. He knew what to do.

"You won't be alone. You'll be here, with me. I know you're probably not happy about that, but I'll do everything I can to help you!... Once I wake up, that is." Sora replied with a sheepish expression, holding his hand over his chest in a manner he had grown accustomed to.

With a barely audible sniffle, the light drew dimmer and slowly descended towards the stained glass platform, merging with it similarly to what Sora saw all those years ago. _"Thank you..."_

He hadn't noticed it until now, but the air around him had a scent of salt and sand, just like the beach. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the waves crashing to shore, and the receding water returning to the sea, depositing seashells on the shore.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't have much time to do anything before the consequences of harbouring another heart came for him, the pain finally overwhelming him and the darkness fully engulfing all in his sight.

\---

Just barely within his earshot, a muffled voice spoke morosely. _"Sora, you're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation... is over..."_

As the ivory petals began to shift, the tear down Sora's face had already made its way down, residing beneath the waking boy, never to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe that vector to the heavens literally means return to sora because vector is moving and sora, sky, heavens, and are you fucking kidding me im crying


	3. roxas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> get ready for another trip on the painnnnn trainnnnnn coming up we've got Sad Ice Cream Boy

If there was one thing he could be happy about, it was being back at home on their islands. Both of his friends, Riku and Kairi, were home and safe. No worlds in peril, no immediate, imminent danger rolling in... yet. They had stopped the Organisation from claiming their own Kingdom Hearts, and he and Riku had returned home side by side, hand in hand, together.

If only that happiness could've lasted. It had barely been a month ago since they'd returned, and yet things were already amiss.

For starters, there was the realisation that Sora's sacrifice to free his friend's heart created another person, one who deserved to exist as his own person, but his realisation wasn't long lived with his inevitable return to Sora's heart. 'Back to where he belonged'. But did his heart really belong there? Trapped, confined, away from the outside world? Something about that blatantly didn't sit right with him.

And then, to make matters worse, his friends were starting to get suspicious. Sora had always tried to hide the sharp tugs on his heart, with the pain getting more severe as he grew older, but it seemed like that tactic wouldn't work well for much longer. Smiles and laughing it off wouldn't always assuage their doubts anymore.

Even when he was with all his friends, he couldn't seem to stop himself from spacing out, as if he were someplace else. Clearly concerned about their friend, they always tried to coax him to talk, but, hey. He was the so-called 'hero of light'. No sad faces.

With all of this given, it didn't come to much of a surprise to Sora when a simple trip to the Play Islands and a relaxing seat on their ever-sturdy paopu tree (still standing despite all the chips and marks from all it endured over the years) turned into more than he expected. 

Gazing into the warm, setting sunset, a familiar feeling rushed over him. He had seen this sunset practically thousands of times, and yet it reminded him of something else...

It wasn't what he was thinking of, but when his vision came into focus, he was greeted with a familiar sight. His own platform of stained glass: cracks, chips, encroaching darkness, fractures, and all.

It had looked a little worse for wear since the last time he saw it. Wait, when _was_ the last time he saw it? It felt recent... but the memory just wasn't there. Hmm.

One memory that was there, however, was the moment that Roxas had resigned himself to his 'fate'. Sora wanted to yell, to tell him that he wasn't just a fragment, but he hesitated. Roxas seemed adamant that this was what needed to happen.

It had remained at the forefront of his mind, like an anchor of guilt looming over his head, threatening to drag him down with it.

No. He had to stay focused. He had to be down here again for a reason. 

And, lo and behold, that very reason began to take shape in the form of the glistening orb of light he had seen before, followed by an overwhelming wave of emotions, mixed with sadness, longing, and resignation. Was this... Roxas? Was this what remained of him? At least he had some semblance of a form when they had met, but...

_"Oh. Hey, Sora."_

The resonating whisper from Roxas could barely be heard, even with no other noises near them, but Sora managed to focus hard enough to hear the faint sound.

"Roxas. Please. You can't tell me you're alright with this."

Despite his ethereal, barely present form, Roxas still managed a small scoff. _"Sora, it's... it's fine. I wasn't meant to exist. You're a nice person, you know, so I'm glad to be half of you."_

Sora couldn't stand to hear it, clenching his fists in determination. "No! Roxas, that isn't true! You aren't just a half, you're a whole person by yourself. You have your own experiences, those are unique to you, and you alone. That's part of what makes you yourself, not just a facet of me!"

Tears stung his eyes, but before he could even realise, he averted his gaze from the surge of light that emerged from the platform. When he opened his eyes, that familiar sight finally made sense to him.

"Is this... Twilight Town?" Sora asked tentatively, facing the wavering heart.

_"I remember... We used to come and sit up here after missions, eating our ice-creams."_ Roxas mused. _"Me, Axel, and... someone else. I- I don't want to forget them. They were there too. What was their name, again...?"_

Sora tilted his head, as if making the gesture on Roxas's behalf, but to no avail of remembering. Shaking his head, Sora continued, casually lacing his hands behind his head in an action he had done so many times before. "It's a beautiful sunset. Almost beats Destiny Islands. Almost."

They shared a small laugh before Roxas caught himself, sighing wistfully in response. _"The tw- three of us used to always be together. I was... happy with them. My friends."_

"You see, Roxas? That doesn't come from me. You learned how to feel like that all on your own." The light slowly faded away, the sunset being the last remnant to flicker off. "Why _shouldn't_ you be your own person?"

Before Roxas could even begin to respond to Sora's impossible question, he stopped facing Roxas and turned away, resolute in what he had to do next.

"I can help. All you have to do is hold on to your memories. Hold on to what makes you _you_. I'll take care of the rest." He eyed the near-crumbling edges of the station, as if he knew what was going to happen.

_"Wait, wait, I can't ask you to do this. Sora, you don't know what'll happen. You could cause irreversible damage to your heart! It's already barely holding on as it is!"_

Sora laughed an empty laugh, one with no humour. "It's alright. Trust me, I do know what'll happen."

Before Sora could listen to any more of Roxas's protests, he summoned his Keyblade, holding it aloft over his head before shooting a beam of light towards the ground he stood on. 

He could feel the cracks deepening, the chips growing, the darkness getting closer than ever before, and the fractures emerging. It took everything he had to maintain focus and consciousness, with Roxas's plea growing quieter as he began to sink into the ground, protected once more, retaining some of the pieces of Sora's own heart. He would be whole, but by himself, on his own terms. All Sora had to do was give him a little help.

Before he could even think about it any further, his breathing became faster and faster as darkness swarmed his vision, threatening to drag him down and away from the ground he stood on. The pain stayed for longer, the twisting feeling inside feeling more permanent than ever. He couldn't focus anymore, and everything started to blur into one...

"..ra! Sora! Come on! Wake up!"

The sound of worried concerns and someone tugging at his hand grew more and more clear to him. As he shook his head around, waking himself up, he remembered. _Right... I'm on Destiny Islands. I'm here._

Squinting through the last beams of the sunset, the source of those worries became evident: Riku.

"Oh!" Sora replied, trying to seem as casual as possible. "Hey, Riku, what's-"

"Don't give me that." It became obvious to Sora that he might not let it go that easily. "You've been gone for three hours. Kairi thought you might've gone missing, and when I got here, you were just staring blankly at the sun. You wouldn't wake up, no matter what. Just tell us what's going on, Sora."

Shrugging it off as he usually did, he didn't reply. How _could_ he? Like he was going to stroll up to his friends and say 'Hey! My heart's crumbling into pieces and there's several people I have to help inside of it!'.

Riku held his gaze, but Sora just wished that the sunset had enough glare to block out his own tears.

His friends were his power. And he was about to need a lot of strength.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> roxas, strolling into sora's heart: damn bitch you live like this?????

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos greatly appreciated!


End file.
